#matagi

ishin! okudera

© Antonia Alksnis 2021

When Taka and Sumi first showed up in Castlevania, my first thought was: "Wait, is there some Ainu influence?" Because their clothing does not 100% look typically Japanese for the time. Not really Ainu, but there was just something about the designs that made me think about it.

Recently I talked with a Japanese friend about it and she instantly went: "Oh, yeah, their design is clearly Matagi." And then everything became a lot clearer.

The Matagi are a Japanese moutain tribe that survives till this day in the mountains of northern Honshu. Their culture has some Ainu elements in it, that also show up as Ainu words within their language. But some Shinto elements, too. Though for the longest time there was not much of a Buddhist influence with their culture. (Which also means: Them ending up burried is actually in accordance with their culture, because the Matagi did burry their dead, instead of cremating them.)

It also fits, because additional material does say, that Cho's court is in Northern Honshu, so exactly the area, where the Matagi are from.

An interesting little tidbit though: While the Matagi are a hunting culture - so Taka and Sumi being vampire hunters being kinda fitting - they would usually hunt in groups of four of five members. Taka and Sumi are only two, of course. Do they keep just with the two of them because they do not trust anyone else? Or are they in general too divorced from their culture, due to growing up in Cho's court?

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Thanking @Irusuify from Twitter for the images. Please take the translations with a grain of salt (this is still a fan TL, so I'm still unsure of the other kanji).

Also PLEASE DON'T REPOST ANYWHERE, thanks.